The field of the invention pertains to support brackets and fastener assemblies. The invention relates more particularly to support brackets and fastener assemblies used to brace-support vertically-oriented water heaters to the walls and wall studs of homes, commercial buildings, or the like. Such bracing-supporting protects a water heater against movement during an earthquake which may cause damage to the water heater as well as potentially cause fire or water damage from breakage in gas or water lines.
Water heaters have been brace-supported to walls and wall studs in a variety of ways to prevent lateral movement during an earthquake. One bracket is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,573 where a joint tie-strap having a plurality of holes is lag-bolted to wall studs behind a wallboard. A strap or outer collar surrounding a water heater and a second support are each independently tap-screwed to the joint tie-strap through the plurality of holes. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,760 a bracket assembly for holding a water heater in a corner is shown. U-shaped bracket mounting flanges are bolted to the corner walls, a bracket is bolted to the U-shaped bracket mounting flanges, and a belt surrounding the water heater is affixed to the bracket by independent means. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,260 a wooden beam is fastened to wall studs behind a wallboard. A pair of brackets is fastened to the wooden beam, and a strap is independently affixed to the pair of brackets. And finally U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,518 shows a water heater restraint for holding a water heater to wall studs behind a wallboard. A bi-channel strut is fastened to the wall studs behind the wallboard and a pair of slidably positionable gussets are fastened to the bi-channel strut. A strap surrounding the water heater is independently fastened to the slidably positionable gussets.
In all of the above prior disclosures, a first component is separately and independently fastened to a wall to serve as a mounting platform upon which all other components of the water heater bracing device are affixed. Most notably, a strap component which surrounds the water heater is fastened to the first component or a second component secured to the first component, but is not fastened directly to the wall itself. This use of a separately and independently fastened first component as a mounting platform for a strap component unnecessarily lengthens the installation time of existing bracing devices. It does so without significantly improving reliability, durability, and/or safety of the bracing devices. It also increases the production cost of existing bracing devices due to the greater number of parts involved. Currently, however, there is no effective, reliable, and economical device for securing a water heater directly to a wall and its supporting wall studs.
In addition, as indicated above, the means for fastening the first component directly to the wall has typically been with bolts or screw pieces. The use of bolts and screws, however, can be a time consuming and arduous process, especially for the non-professional installer. Instead, the use of a nail fastener which is pre-mounted in a piece to be fastened has been known to provide substantial benefits to the installation process.
As seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,961,210 one embodiment of a pre-mounted fastener assembly shows a fastener which is preset at a ninety-degree angle in a conduit clip made of a deformable material. A second embodiment shows a fastener which is preset at a ninety-degree angle in an electrical box also made of a deformable material. However, the pre-mounted fastener assembly in this prior disclosure is designed primarily to prevent damaging thin sheets when fastened by an explosively driven nail. It does not particularly serve to shorten or facilitate the fastening process. More importantly, it does not contemplate or provide a means to optimally resist a known lateral force in a given direction in the piece to be fastened. Where such a force is known, a fastener would be able to provide greater resistance when fastened in a direction which forms an acute angle with the known force vector. This prior disclosure also does not provide for using a pre-mounted fastener in combination with a slidable strap for brace-supporting water heaters to walls.
In summary, there is a need for a simpler, less expensive, reliable, and easy-to-install water heater brace-supporting device which is positionable anywhere along a wall. Such a device is also needed to facilitate installation for many individuals having little or no mechanical or construction experience, while leaving little room for error and without sacrificing the quality of the installation. Additionally, the time saving benefits of including a pre-mounted fastener to facilitate the installation of water heater restraint devices have largely gone unrealized.